Join our community beach clean-up Saturday 21 September!

Looking for a meaningful way to spend your weekend while helping the environment?

Join the Kāpiti Coast District Council's community beach clean-up at Paraparaumu Beach on Saturday, 21 September, from 10:00a.m. to lunchtime. As part of the annual Keep New Zealand Beautiful Clean Up Week, it's a chance for locals to roll up their sleeves, do some good, and enjoy a sausage sizzle in Maclean Park afterward.

Image courtesy of Keep New Zealand Beautiful – © https://www.knzb.org.nz

Robbie Stillwell, Council's waste projects manager, highlights the impact of the national initiative, which last year saw over 67,000 volunteers collect a staggering 652 tonnes of rubbish – enough to cover an area the size of 5,728 rugby fields!

“This clean-up is a fantastic way to bring your family, friends, school, or local group together and contribute to a greater cause,” Robbie says. “It’s not just about keeping our beaches beautiful – litter can seriously harm the birds and animals that live in our coastal dunes and marine reserve.”

The event is designed to be simple, fun, and impactful. “There’s something special about spending a few hours together doing something positive for our environment,” Robbie adds. “And hopefully, it sparks a bit of reflection about how we handle waste.”

Everyone is welcome to join. Just meet by the Kāpiti Boating Club at 10:00 a.m. While gloves and bags will be provided, the Council encourages participants to bring their own reusable gloves to minimize waste.

You don’t need to sign up in advance, but clicking ‘going’ on the Facebook event would help with planning for the post-clean-up BBQ.

Can’t make it to Paraparaumu Beach? No worries! You can still organise your own local clean-up for Clean Up Week. The Council offers community clean-up kits, and you can find more details about borrowing them on the Council's website.

This beach clean-up is one of the many events happening throughout September as part of Sustainable September.

Explore the full programme at www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/SustainableSeptember and find more ways to get involved.